Former first overall pick and nine-year MLB veteran Luke Hochevar has decided to hang up his spikes, he tells MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. He spent his entire career with the Royals, who selected him in the 2006 draft out of the University of Tennessee. Hochevar was said to be pursuing a comeback earlier this year after undergoing a procedure…

The Blue Jays have acquired young righty Bryan Baker from the Rockies, according to Robert Murray of The Athletic (via Twitter). Baker represents the player to be named later from the pre-deadline deal that sent reliever Seunghwan Oh to Colorado, Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets. That swap has already paid dividends for the Rox, who…

When you look at the imposing Giancarlo Stanton (6-foot-6) and Aaron Judge (6-foot-7), it makes a lot of sense that they led their respective leagues in homers last season. But when it comes to shows of prodigious power, don't count out the little guy.

The Red Sox announced that they’ve activated catcher/utilityman Blake Swihart from the 10-day disabled list and designated catcher Dan Butler for assignment to open a spot on the roster. Boston had selected the contract of Butler, 31, when Swihart hit the DL earlier this month. The organization will now have a week to trade Butler…

As they seek to correct a skid, the Dodgers have also dealt with some fairly worrisome health situations. Here’s the latest: Sorely-missed closer Kenley Jansen said yesterday that he expects to be able to return sooner than had been feared, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times was among those to report (links to…

Continuing its efforts to engage and have an impact on young audiences, Major League Baseball will once again roll out a special Home Run Derby Virtual Reality video game championship on Wednesday for the 16 teams participating in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

Maybe the highest compliment to 19-year-old Nationals outfielder Juan Soto is that we've come to accept that he's just one of those special talents that comes along every so often. We understand that references to his age and lack of Minor League experience and all that other stuff do not matter. Sometimes, a guy is just different.

Astros RBI softball player Kayla Robinson has been named a winner of the Jackie Robinson "Breaking Barriers" Essay Contest, Major League Baseball announced on Monday. Robinson's win marks the second consecutive year that a member of the Astros RBI program has been selected as a winner of the contest.

The hard part for John Mozeliak in the Summer of 2018 came a month or so ago, when he decided to fire his manager, Mike Matheny. Cardinals' president of baseball ops discusses the events leading up to that decision, St. Louis' rocky season and much more.

There are quite a few minor moves to cover, with Baseball America’s Matt Eddy releasing several weeks’ worth of transactions. We’ll use this post to cover the most notable ones that haven’t yet featured on MLBTR: The Angels released outfielder Ben Revere, who could perhaps be an interesting player to target for contending clubs that…

Jed Lowrie and Matt Chapman combined for six hits and six RBIs behind a stellar Sean Manaea, but Blake Treinen had to dig deep in a three-run ninth as the A's held on for a 7-6 win over the Mariners, creating some breathing room in the American League Wild Card race, at least for 24 hours.

Brad Keller went seven strong innings and Ryan O'Hearn drove in all three runs, including a go-ahead two-run homer, to lead the Royals in the series opener. Devon Travis belted his ninth homer, while Sean Reid-Foley and batterymate Danny Jansen made their Major League debuts for the Blue Jays. Jansen logged a pair of singles and threw out a runner.

Justin Upton robbed Eric Hosmer of a go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth inning, then hit a two-run homer in the 10th to help the Angels beat the Padres, 6-3, on Monday in the series opener. Andrew Heaney allowed two runs in 7 1/3 innings for the Angels. Clayton Richard gave up two runs in eight innings for the Padres, who are in the middle of a 10-game homestand.

Backed by another big night from Jose Ramirez -- who belted his 35th homer of the year -- the American League Central-leading Indians picked up their eighth win in 10 games in a victory over the Reds at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday. Homer Bailey and Amir Garrett coughed up seven runs in the sixth inning, which was the difference in the loss for Cincinnati.

Jacob deGrom allowed three runs (two earned) and fanned 12 Yankees over 6 2/3 innings while Amed Rosario, Jose Bautista, Todd Frazier, Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto went yard as the Mets split their season series with their crosstown rivals on Monday night at Yankee Stadium.

Washington came from behind twice, including a rally to overcome an eighth-inning bullpen meltdown, before Koda Glover surrendered a walk-off home run to Paul DeJong in the ninth to hand the Nationals a 7-6 loss and their second straight crushing defeat.

Earlier this season, following a particularly unnerving Jacob deGrom loss, Mets third baseman Todd Frazier apologized for the team's lack of offensive support. Monday, after he and his teammates broke out for a season-high five home runs in an 8-5 win over the Yankees, Frazier called deGrom an "angel, basically, for what we put him through."

Nicholas Castellanos broke out of a second-half slump with five hits to power a win over the White Sox. Omar Narvaez tied things up with a solo shot in the sixth, but Castellanos delivered a go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning. Adam Engel continued his recent power surge with a long solo drive a half-inning later. Castellanos would retort, putting the finishing touches on the victory with a two-run, bases-loaded single in the eighth inning.

Whether it's the toll of innings adding up for Marco Gonzales or just an August slump, the young Mariners lefty took his third straight loss on Monday as the A's held on for a 7-6 win in the opener of a key three-game series at the Coliseum between American League playoff challengers.

Bartolo Colon overcame a rough first inning to win his third game against a Cy Young Award winner this season, and Robinson Chirinos clobbered a three-run homer to power the offense in the Rangers' win over the D-backs on Monday at Globe Life Park. Colon allowed three runs over five innings, struck out three and walked one to best Arizona starter Zack Greinke, who allowed four runs over 6 1/3 frames. Ronald Guzman added a solo homer for Texas, and Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollack each collected

Not only did Kenley Jansen call 911 to report an irregular heartbeat last week, the Dodgers' closer said the situation required doctors in Denver to use an electrical shock in order to get his heart back into rhythm.

On the first pitch of the Braves' half of the first inning, Ronald Acuna Jr. made history as the fourth player to lead off both games of a doubleheader with a home run. Atlanta's good fortune continued as Mike Foltynewicz returned to his All-Star form, hurling eight innings of one-run ball, and Freddie Freeman clobbered his first homer since July 30. Merandy Gonzalez made his first Major League start for the Marlins and showed flashes of promise, but he ended the day after giving up three runs i

A typical Madison Bumgarner-Clayton Kershaw mound matchup on Monday quickly evolved into a typical you-never-know finish that's characteristic of the Giants-Dodgers rivalry as San Francisco scored four ninth-inning runs to secure a 5-2 triumph.

On the day they placed CC Sabathia on the disabled list, the Yankees also received the shortest effort of the season from Luis Severino, whose second-half struggles continued opposite deGrom and in front of a sellout crowd of 47,233 at Yankee Stadium.

The Cardinals have decided to utilize righty Carlos Martinez as a reliever down the stretch, as Peter Baugh of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was among those to report. Martinez has been sidelined with a shoulder strain. Unsurprisingly, the move is expected only to be temporary. The idea seems to be that it would simply take…

Shohei Ohtani completed a 33-pitch bullpen session without incident on Monday. Ohtani estimated that he threw at about a 70 percent effort level, a higher intensity than his first session off the mound on Saturday.

Paul DeJong's homer in the bottom of the ninth delivered a thrilling 7-6 win for the Cardinals against Washington on Monday night, as St. Louis rallied after trailing by two in the eighth and after their lead slipped away in the top of the ninth.

On this week's episode of Executive Access, Arizona CEO Derrick Hall remembers his tenure as a morning talk show host in Los Angeles, explains why he always has a box of D-backs caps close by and revisits handing Zack Greinke the largest contract in franchise history.

For the second time in Monday's day-night doubleheader at SunTrust Park, the Marlins had their starting third baseman exit due to injury. Miguel Rojas was removed in the second inning of Game 2 against the Braves with an apparent left ankle or lower leg ailment.

Indians outfielder Leonys Martin, who was recently placed on the 10-day disabled list for a then-unidentified ailment, is battling a serious bacterial infection. Club president Chris Antonetti provided the update to reporters including MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (Twitter link). Martin is said to have faced a life-threatening situation involving “multiple organs.” Fortunately, it seems his treatment…

After tossing six innings of one-hit ball Sunday afternoon, Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia was placed on the 10-day disabled list with right knee inflammation prior to Monday's makeup game against the Mets.

Major League Baseball recognized last week's top performers Monday, naming the Red Sox's J.D. Martinez and the Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman as the American League and National League Players of the Week presented by W.B. Mason.

MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Week honors the best performances from the previous seven days. Any Minor Leaguer currently on an organization Top 30 Prospects list on our Prospect Watch is eligible.

Touki Toussaint dazzled in his big league debut and benefited from Ronald Acuna Jr.'s latest offensive outburst as the Braves cruised to a 9-1 win over the Marlins in the first game of Monday's doubleheader at SunTrust Park.

Adam Engel's defensive prowess has been nationally profiled recently, with three home run-stealing catches since last Monday, placing him alongside other noteworthy performances for American League Player of the Week.

Left-handed pitcher Cody Reed has been on a very good stretch of starts for Triple-A Louisville lately -- 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA over his last four starts -- but there is no vacancy in a Reds big league rotation that is already brimming with six starters.

4:00pm: The Yankees announced that they’ve selected Kontos’ contract and placed lefty CC Sabathia on the 10-day disabled list due to inflammation in his right knee. Jordan Montgomery, who underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this year, was moved to the 60-day DL to open a roster spot for Kontos. Additionally, the Yankees recalled Ronald Torreyes…

The 60-mile stretch of I-75 that links Detroit and Toledo has been well traveled by Mikie Mahtook this season. After Mahtook began the season in the Tigers' Opening Day lineup, the 28-year-old outfielder has been optioned to and recalled from Triple-A Toledo three times.

The knee strain that has kept Rangers right-hander Doug Fister on the disabled list since mid-June will prove to be season-ending, reports Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Fister’s knee hasn’t responded well to the rehab efforts, and he won’t pitch again in 2018. Fister, 34, signed a one-year deal worth $4MM…

The Braves announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of top pitching prospect Touki Toussaint from Triple-A Gwinnett. He’ll serve as the 26th man in today’s doubleheader and is slated to start the first game of that twin bill. Toussaint, who turned 22 in late June, ranked as the game’s No. 76 prospect on the…

Joe Maddon and Alex Rodriguez met Sunday before the Cubs' game against the Nationals for the first time since the former American League MVP made comments critical of Yu Darvish on the ESPN broadcast two weeks ago.

Even though he has been battling back issues on and off for the past few days, Ryan Madson had not informed the Nationals or manager Dave Martinez, thinking he could pitch through the pain. So Martinez was "very surprised" to learn that Madson told reporters about his back injury after Sunday's walk-off loss to the Cubs.

Given Jose Ramirez's torrid pace this season, records were bound to start falling. On Monday night, the Indians' powerful third baseman's latest home run rewrote a section of the franchise's history book.

The Braves have released veteran right-hander Fernando Salas from their Triple-A club in Gwinnett, as was first reflected on the Triple-A International League transactions page. His tenure with the organization will last just under a month in total. Atlanta signed Salas, 33, to a minor league contract in mid-July after he’d been cut loose by…

When former Royals right-hander Luke Hochevar had thoracic outlet surgery to alleviate pain in his lower neck and shoulder area two years ago this month, he still held out hope that he would one day pitch again in the Major Leagues. But that dream ended last year when Hochevar found he was unable to throw again without pain.

Martin Prado is heading back to the disabled list, but this time it isn't because of a strained right hamstring. The 34-year-old third baseman strained his left quad in the Marlins' 9-1 loss to the Braves in Game 1 of Monday's day-night doubleheader at SunTrust Park.

Royals left-hander Danny Duffy was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Monday because of an impingement in his left shoulder. Right-hander Glenn Sparkman, who was sent back to Triple-A Omaha to make room for Blaine Boyer on Sunday, was recalled and will make a start in Duffy's place on Thursday.

Here are Monday’s minor moves from around the league… The Tigers announced today that right-hander Jacob Turner cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Toledo. Having been outrighted in the past, the prospect-turned-journeyman will have the ability to decline that assignment in favor of free agency if he is so inclined. The 27-year-old Turner…

As Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen prepared to make his Major League debut on Monday night against the Royals, he was a man in demand. Jansen made the rounds for a series of interviews and tried to put into perspective just how special the evening at Kauffman Stadium would be for him.

Can Mariners closer Edwin Diaz catch -- and ultimately surpass -- Francisco Rodriguez in the history books for the single-season saves makr? Here are some questions and answers to help set the stage for his stretch-run chase.

Many kids scale the fences of their backyards or local diamonds dreaming of that one moment when they pull off a perfect home run robbery. Adam Engel has experienced that thrill in the big leagues three times … in the past week.

The Blue Jays announced Monday that they’ve designated right-hander Brandon Cumpton for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to pitching prospect Sean Reid-Foley, whose contract has been formally selected from Triple-A Buffalo. Right-hander Danny Barnes was optioned to Buffalo to open a spot on the active roster. Cumpton, 29, made just one appearance…

The West squad defeated the East, 4-2, for its third straight victory in the 16th annual Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park on Sunday night. The annual showcase, which features 50 of the top-ranked high school seniors in the nation, returned to Petco Park for the 10th straight year.

Which active players might end up with their jerseys retired? Who potentially has that immortality in their future? We take a look at the most likely active player to someday have his number retired for every team.

Not long after the Mariners pulled off a four-game road sweep of the first-place Astros on Sunday, the A's overcame a late-inning scare to close out a series-clinching victory in Anaheim and pull within 2 1/2 games of the division lead. Jed Lowrie collected his 1,000th career hit with a double in the first inning and added a two-run homer, his 18th, extending his career-high. Francisco Arcia clobbered his third homer in his 11th Major League game, bringing his slugging percentage to .533. Both t

The emergence of Brandon Nimmo has left Jay Bruce as something of an odd man out with the Mets, opines Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman notes that the Mets’ outfield in 2019 and beyond is likely to include Nimmo, Michael Conforto and Yoenis Cespedes, making it more difficult for Bruce to secure…

The Rays went 4-2 last week to improve to 60-58 this season, continuing to defy the odds in large part thanks to a unique bullpen strategy and a solid performance from the relief corps. That continued with Tampa Bay's bullpen posting a 2.14 ERA over 33 2/3 innings from Aug. 6-12 to earn the MLB Bullpen of the Week presented by The Hartford honors.

The Angels have selected the contract of right-hander Osmer Morales, per a club announcement. Fellow righty Eduardo Paredes was optioned to create active roster space. Morales, 25, receives his first shot at the majors despite the fact that he’s carrying only a 6.22 ERA in 92 2/3 Triple-A frames on the season. He has long…

Pitching duels are great, but so are home runs, and rookie David Bote hit one he'll never forget. Bote smacked a walk-off grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning on Sunday night to lift the Cubs to a stunning 4-3 victory over the Nationals.

The Indians received good news about Trevor Bauer's injured right ankle. X-rays were negative and Bauer, who is dealing with a bruise, will likely be able to make his next scheduled start Friday against the Orioles, manager Terry Francona said before Sunday's finale with the White Sox.

The latest minor moves from around baseball… The Athletics announced that they’ve outrighted reliever Chris Hatcher to Triple-A Nashville after he cleared waivers. The club previously designated Hatcher for assignment on Friday to make room for just-acquired reliever Fernando Rodney. The 33-year-old Hatcher’s stay in the minors won’t be a long one, it seems, as…

Yadier Molina logged a go-ahead two-run single after Patrick Wisdom tied it in the seventh with his first RBI in a fine Major League debut as the Cardinals swept the I-70 Series. Right-hander Tyson Ross went six solid frames in his St. Louis debut, while Royals starter Jakob Junis struck out eight over six strong innings.

Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto suggested last month he’d be open to discussing a contract extension with the club, but if he’s uninterested in signing a deal over the winter, “there’s a good chance” the team will trade him, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. The 25-year-old Realmuto, one of the game’s elite backstops, is…

Didi Gregorius did his part to make sure that all of the fans in attendance at Yankee Stadium got their money's worth on Sunday afternoon. The Yankees shortstop flashed his leather in the top of the fifth and blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth that helped the Yankees to a 7-2 victory over the Rangers in the finale of the four-game set. CC Sabathia earned the win after allowing one hit in six scoreless innings. The Rangers got to the New York bullpen for a pair of runs in the seve

After a slight shift in the rotation, Monday's 7:05 p.m. ET contest with the Yankees is now far more significant than just a makeup game for the Mets. Jacob deGrom will take the ball in the Bronx on Monday, toeing the rubber opposite right-hander Luis Severino -- a must-see marquee pitching matchup in the 2018 Subway Series finale.

The D-backs belted five home runs -- including two from Paul Goldschmidt -- in a win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park on Sunday to avoid a sweep. Daniel Descalso started the power show off with a three-run homer in the first to back 6 2/3 innings from Zack Godley. Reds starter Luis Castillo retired 13 in a row at one point, but Cincinnati couldn't keep up with Arizona's attack in the finale.

Padres shortstop Freddy Galvis is on track to reach free agency in the offseason, but that may not happen if the team has its druthers. San Diego has “serious interest” in re-signing Galvis, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports. However, considering the Padres have an excellent shortstop prospect in 19-year-old Fernando Tatis Jr. – who has…

Toronto recalled catcher Dan Jansen from Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday morning when infielder Yangervis Solarte was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right oblique. Right-hander Sean Reid-Foley also unofficially joined the big league club and is expected to start Monday in Kansas City.

Giancarlo Stanton's red-hot bat appears to show no signs of cooling down. After getting the Yankees' offense started on Saturday with a blast in the first inning, Stanton followed suit in the first inning on Sunday, launching a 112.2-mph laser to the seats in left-center to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.

Chris Sale returned off the disabled list to strike out 12 in five innings to secure the sweep over the Orioles. Steve Pearce homered in the first, and Boston added one run on an error in the fourth and a pair in the ninth on a Jackie Bradley Jr. single and a Mookie Betts double. Baltimore starter Alex Cobb struck out seven in seven frames, and Trey Mancini knocked a sac fly in the eighth.

It seems as if some behind-the-scenes drama contributed to the Nationals’ decision to trade Brandon Kintzler to the Cubs, Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman writes. GM Mike Rizzo reportedly believed Kintzler was an unnamed source in two recent stories (by Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports and Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post) that detailed internal criticisms of…

Melky Cabrera got the Tribe going with a three-run homer in the first, and Carlos Carrasco had plenty of support before throwing a pitch at Guaranteed Rate Field. Cleveland scored six runs in the first two frames against White Sox starter Dylan Covey, and Carrasco got off to a slow start before retiring the final 16 batters he faced. Hector Santiago tossed 3 2/3 sterling innings to preserve the Chicago bullpen, and the Sox rallied for four runs in the ninth, but Cody Allen came in to lock down a

The Tigers set up sparklers for Morris' walk from the dugout to the stage behind the mound at Comerica Park on Sunday, when the team celebrated Morris' induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame by retiring his No. 47.